You are here

Home » OEM offers day camp to teach kids everything from self defense to CPR

OEM offers day camp to teach kids everything from self defense to CPR

Published by Kelly on Wed, 04/26/2017 - 15:56

LDR file photo/Kelly Morgan

Students learn how to perform CPR on infants during a past Youth Preparedness Camp. The newest camp will be held June 5 through June 9 at the Laclede County Office of Emergency Management.

By:

KELLY MORGAN ◆ KELLY@LEBANONDAILYRECORD.COM

Applications are currently available for a day camp designed to prepare teenagers for situations involving everything from CPR to self defense to downed power lines.

The Laclede County Office of Emergency Management will be holding a Youth Preparedness Camp for youth ages 12-15 June 5-9.

Camp director Beverly Miller explained that the American Red Cross used to offer a babysitting camp, but as the camp progressed, organizers saw that there was an interest in preparedness for young people, so the camp became a youth preparedness camp. With the focus now on youth preparedness, organizers of the former babysitting camp approached the OEM about offering the camp.

“Red Cross doesn’t do a preparedness camp; they do babysitting camps,” Miller stated. “So we just thought it would be a good time to ask (OEM Executive Director Randy Rowe) if we could work through OEM, and he graciously said yes.”

Rowe stated, “What I have seen is that (the camp directors) have produced a mechanism to plant seeds for future EMS-type people, because this camp touches base with all of the disciplines of emergency services. It touches base with fire, it touches base with law enforcement, EMS and Office of Emergency Management and weather spotting. So you could not ask for a better mechanism to promote future EMS, firemen, law enforcement and people that help people. That’s what this is all about.”

For the complete article, see the Thursday print edition of The Daily Record, or view the e-Editiononline.